Dispensing container and holder for soap containing boxes and the like



wbilw,

g- 1953 v G. v. PELTON DISPENSING CONTAINER AND HOLDER FOR SOAP CONTAINING BOXES AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 27, 1950 Patented Aug. 25, 1953 DISPENSING CONTAINER AND HOLDER FOR SOAP CONTAINING BOXES AND THE LIKE Geraldine V. Pelton, Miami, Fla.

Application November 27, 1950, Serial No. 197,811

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in dispensing containers and, while adapted for other purposes, is primarily intended as a holder and. dispenser for powdered or flaked soap packages or containers.

Powdered or flaked soap has come into almost universal use for clothes washing, dish washing, etc., and such soap is packaged in relatively light cardboard boxes. Such boxes have cut-out or tear-01f portions at one of the top corners to provide an outlet for the powdered or flaked soap.

A person engaged in dish washing or clothes washing operations invariably has wet hands and also the sink drainboard or other convenient support for the soap box is usually damp. The result is that the cardboard soap box gets wet with the result that the soap contents tends to cake and cannot be properly sprinkled out of the outlet in desired quantities. Furthermore, when the tear-off or cut-out corner opening has been formed in the original soap box or package, there is no way of properly reclosing same, which means that the soap contents is subjected to moisture from the atmosphere which tends to result in caking. Also, the soap box is frequently inadvertently knocked over, spilling some of the contents which means not only a loss of some of the product, but a mess to be cleaned up.

Having in mind the foregoing, it is the primary aim of my present invention to provide a dispensing container for soap from the original box or package and which will keep the soap dry and usable and also prevent spillage in the event that the box is inadvertently knocked over.

Also the invention contemplates a dispensing container for the purpose specified which is of simple and inexpensive construction and involves a novel and readily operable closure element which has a soap-deflector portion for directing soap toward the washing machine or dishpan when the container is tilted and subjected to shaking action, such deflector serving as a closure or seal for the outlet opening in the box-receiving container when no soap is to be dispensed.

Furthermore, it is an aim of the invention to provide a dispensing container as characterized which lends itself to ready manufacture from plastic; and when said plastic is transparent or substantially so, the trade-mark and ornamental embellishments of the original package or box show through so that the original package serves as a self-advertisement, so to speak, so long as its soap content holds out.

Other objects and advantages will be referred to later on herein in connection with the detailed 2 description of the illustrated embodiment of my inventive concept, or will be apparent to housewives and others as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts throughout the several views- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my novel dispensing container with an original soap box or package in place therein, the closure of the dispensing container being shown in its opened position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view with the dispensing container closed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective of the top front corner of the soap box containing dispenser illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the original soap box or package procured from the store is indicated generally by reference character 5 and has the side walls 6, top wall 1 and front wall 8, as indicated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

The soap box 5 is conventionally made of relatively thin cardboard, and to enable the purchaser to dispense the powdered or flaked soap contents thereof the top wall I and front wall 8 have the tear-off or cut-out portion providing the corner opening 9, 9a which is clearly indicated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the front Wall cut-out portion 9a. of the soap outlet opening is V-shaped, but it is understood that the particular shape of the front Wall portion of the soap outlet opening is immaterial and varies with the different brands of powdered or flaked soap.

As indicated in the drawing, the novel dispensing container for the soap box 5 is designated generally by reference character l0 and is shaped to conform to the shape and dimensions of the soap box 5 so that the latter will fit nicely thereinto.

The dispensing container It! may, of course, be made of a variety of materials, as for instance, metal, glass, plastic, etc. However, plastic as the material for the dispensing container 10 is preferred because of its lightness and because it lends itself to expeditious molding.

In carrying out the invention, it will be noted that the dispensing container 10 in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is rectangular in outline and has the side walls ll, rear wall l2, bottom wall l3 and front wall l4.

The front wall of the dispensing container I is shortened and terminates at Ma short of the upper edges of the side walls I I so as to provide the outlet opening Mb between the side walls II.

The dispensing container is open at the top, as indicated by reference character I in Fig, 1, and this top opening is adapted to be closed by a slide closure l8 as shown.

The side walls II of the dispensing container II] have inwardly of their top edges the opposed parallel inner surface grooves 56 which are best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and are adapted to receive the side extensions or tenons I! of the slide closure I8.

Fig. 2 shows that the major portion of the slide closure [8 is of a length corresponding to the distance separating the front wall I4 and rear wall l2 of the dispensing container so as to fully close the open top I5 thereof when slid rearwardly to the Fig. 2 position. The front end of the slide closure l8 has the right angularly directed defiector portion ifia which, as suggested in Fig. l,

performs the function of deflecting downwardly the soap flakes or particles when the container with the soap box therein is tilted forwardly and given a shaking. Then, when the closure I8 has been slid to the Fig. 2 position, it will be noted that the deflector extension [8a fits in between the side walls H of the dispensing container and has its lower edge engaging flush with the upper end I la of the dispensing container front wall I4 so as to effectively seal the opening I 41) against outlet of soap from the box 5. Thus, the deflecting portion [8a closes the outlet portion 9a in the front wall 8 of the original soap package or box 5 when in the Fig. 2 position.

For convenient manipulation of the slide closure I8 I provide the finger-piece I9 which, in the illustrated form of the invention, is the upstanding cleat at the rear end of the slide closure I8 and is an integral part of said slide closure. Thus, the user can grip the dispensing container I!) by the rear top portion and with a finger of the same hand, manipulate the slide closure I8 through the element I9 to open or close the outlet opening I8b in the top front wall portion of the dispensing container II].

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the. advantages and operation of my novel dispenser will be readily understood and appreciated without further discussion. Obviously, the item can be produced very inexpensively and especially when formed of transparentplastic provides what amounts to an advertisement for the soap product to be dispensed and also, of course, for its manufacturer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A dispensing holder for boxes of powdered or flaked laundry soap or the like, which soap boxes conventionally have a discharge opening at the front top corner thereof, said dispensing holder comprising a portable thin-walled container generally shaped and dimensioned to conform to the shape of the soap box it is to receive, said container having front, back, side and bottom walls and being open at its top, the front wall of the container having a cut-out at its top opposite the discharge opening of said soap box, a slidable closure for the open top of said container, the two container side walls having parallel grooves in their inner surfaces opening from the front of said container at the site of said front wall cut-out and terminating at said back wall, a lineally coextensive tongue extension at each side of said closure and received in the adjacent side wall groove whereby to retain said closure in relatively slidable assembly with said container, and a depending soap defleeting projection at the forward end of said closure and shaped to conform to the size and shape of said front wall cut-out whereby to fill the same when the closure is slid to its rearward limit to fully close the top of said container, the rear end of said closure abutting said rear container wall when said soap deflecting projection is in cutout-filling position whereby to prevent deformation of said projection so that it would fail to properly seal said front wall cutout.

2. A dispensing holder for boxes of powdered or flaked laundry soap or the like, which soap boxes conventionally have a discharge opening at the front top corner thereof, said dispensing holder comprising a portable thin-walled container generally shaped and dimensioned to conform to the shape of the soap box it is to re ceive, said container having front, back, side and bottom walls and being open at its top, the front wall of the container having a cut-out at its top opposite the discharge opening of said soap box, a slidable closure for the open top of said container, the two container side walls having parallel grooves in their inner surfaces opening from the front of said container at the site of said front wall cut-out and terminating at said back wall, a lineally coextensive tongue extension at each side of said closure and received in the adjacent side wall groove whereby to retain said closure in relatively slidable assembly with said container, a depending soap deflecting projection at the forward end of said closure and shaped to conform to the size and shape of said front wall cut-out whereby to fill the same when the closure is slid to its rearward limit to fully close the top of said container, the rear end of said closure abutting said rear container wall when said soap deflecting projection is in cutout-filling position whereby to prevent deformation of said projection so that it would fail to properly seal said front wall cut-out, an upstanding fingerpiece carried by said closure for operation of the same, said finger-piece being an integral portion of said closure and located at the rear end of same adjacent said back wall wereby a finger of of the operators hand which holds the container may be employed to manipulate said closure without interfering with the dispensing of the soap.

GERALDINE V. PELTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 268,313 Stokes Nov. 28, 1882 1,524,662 Layman Feb. 3, 1925 1,951,204 Purdum Mar. 13, 1934 2,387,724 Elman Oct. 30, 1945 2,535,273 Deutschman Dec. 26, 1950 

